The group had already boarded the car and taken their seats. Su Wanwan was still excitedly gesturing about the "StarNet Storm" she had just witnessed in the back seat, while Liu Mengran occasionally corrected her exaggerated descriptions. Han Feng sat in the driver's seat, a faint smile on his lips, twirling the car keys in his hand.
"How about we try incorporating a starburst effect next time?" Su Wanwan suddenly turned and walked backwards. "Like a chain of landmines—"
Han Feng's phone rang, interrupting her. The words "Liu Xiaoran" displayed on the screen made him frown slightly—a call at this time was very unusual.
\"Hello?\"
"Where are you?" Liu Xiaoran's voice was unusually urgent.
"On the way back." Han Feng slowed his pace. "What's wrong?"
"My grandfather wants to see you, it's urgent."
Han Feng's back straightened instantly: "What is it?"
"I don't know." Liu Xiaoran's tone turned serious. "He started looking for you at noon, and just now he directly ordered me to contact you. I've never seen him like this before."
The warmth of the training ground faded from Han Feng. As the head of the Liu family, Old Master Liu was always unfazed, even in the face of a collapsing mountain. What could possibly worry him...?
"Where is he?" Han Feng's voice turned somber.
"A courtyard house. I'm coming to pick you up now—"
"No need." Han Feng had already started the car. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."
The moment the call ended, the two girls walking ahead turned around simultaneously. Han Feng's expression made Liu Mengran's face change instantly: "What happened?"
"Change course, go to the Liu family's courtyard house." Han Feng didn't explain further.
Just as Su Wanwan was about to speak, Liu Mengran gently pressed her arm and shook her head. The relaxed atmosphere after the training session vanished completely.
Han Feng's SUV roared out of the base. In the rearview mirror, Liu Mengran's lips were tightly pursed. Su Wanwan glanced at her, then at Han Feng, and finally chose to remain silent.
"Is that my brother's call?" After driving for five minutes, Liu Mengran finally couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm." Han Feng replied briefly.
"What...did he say?"
Outside the car window, the neon lights of Kyoto began to illuminate. Han Feng's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel: "He said your grandfather was looking for me."
Liu Mengran's breath hitched: "Grandpa? Did he... say why?"
"No." Han Feng glanced at the navigation, then abruptly turned the steering wheel and took a shortcut. "Your brother doesn't know either."
Silence fell again in the car. Su Wanwan quietly took Liu Mengran's cold hand and found it was trembling slightly.
"Don't worry," Han Feng suddenly spoke, his voice softer than before. "It's probably just a casual chat. Your grandfather has already accepted me as his grandson-in-law."
But the force with which he pressed the accelerator betrayed his true intentions. The SUV weaved through the evening rush hour traffic like a nimble shark. When the car turned into the alley where the Liu family's courtyard house was located, the dashboard showed that it had only taken eighteen minutes.
Liu Xiaoran had been waiting for a long time in front of the ancient courtyard gate. He was dressed in a black outfit, with a weapon clearly visible at his waist. This fully armed appearance made Han Feng's pupils shrink slightly.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Liu Mengran rushed out: "Brother! What happened—"
"Grandpa only said he wanted to see Han Feng." Liu Xiaoran pressed down on his sister's shoulder. "You two go and rest in the west wing first."
Han Feng strode towards the inner courtyard, Liu Xiaoran quickly following. As they passed through the moon gate, Han Feng lowered his voice: "What's going on?"
"Unsure." Liu Xiaoran's answer made Han Feng's heart tighten. "But Grandpa activated the mansion's defensive formation for the first time in twenty years."
Inside the main room of the Liu family home, the air was thick with the scent of sandalwood. Old Master Liu sat in a grand chair, his fingers tapping incessantly on the armrest; the tea before him had long since gone cold. Only when Han Feng strode across the threshold did the old man's tightly furrowed brow relax slightly.
"You've come." Old Master Liu's voice was hoarse, clearly indicating that he had been sitting alone for a long time.
Han Feng skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Why did you call me here in such a hurry? What's the matter?"
"The Third Elder has made a move." Old Master Liu pulled a gold-embossed visiting card from his sleeve and tossed it onto the coffee table. "The fact that Liu Mengran can cultivate has been leaked."
Han Feng's pupils contracted sharply. He picked up the visiting card; the Nangong family crest gleamed coldly in the candlelight. Turning to the inside pages, the respectfully worded invitation concealed a dagger—the words "to discuss the marriage alliance between our two families" were deliberately bolded.
"Wang Ma?" Han Feng thought of the always smiling old nanny.
Old Master Liu nodded with a wry smile: "The old man who's been with me for thirty years is actually a spy planted by the Third Elder." The old man slammed his fist heavily on the armrest. "This morning she used the excuse of going back to her hometown to visit relatives, and in the blink of an eye, the news reached the Nangong family."
Han Feng quickly calculated the timeline. Liu Mengran had only opened her meridians two weeks ago, yet her reaction speed far exceeded expectations, indicating that the Third Elder's faction had been prepared for a long time.
"Can you hold them off?" Han Feng put the visiting card back on the table, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"It's too late." Old Master Liu sighed. "The visiting card was delivered this afternoon, and the Nangong family will arrive next week." He looked directly at Han Feng. "What's more troublesome is that Aunt Wang even told me about how you helped Mengran open her meridians."
The room temperature seemed to plummet. A cold glint flashed in Han Feng's eyes: "Where is Wang Ma?"
"Xiao Ran went to 'invite' her personally." Old Master Liu made a throat-slitting gesture, "But killing her wouldn't help; the Nangong family already knows."
A sharp cracking sound came from outside the window. Han Feng instantly moved to the window, his right hand already on the weapon at his waist. He only relaxed after realizing it was just a night owl.
"Will the Nangong family take action against me?" Han Feng turned around and asked.
"Unsure," Old Master Liu shook his head. "But according to the rules of aristocratic families, those who disrupt arranged marriages are considered to be provoking others. Especially since you're not even a scion of an aristocratic family... However..."
"But what?" Han Feng's heart skipped a beat.
"Your ability to open up someone's meridians and help them become a cultivator seems to be of more interest to the Nangong family," Old Master Liu said seriously.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Han Feng asked, puzzled.
“In the past, each major family had its own cultivation methods and source power, so the concept of cultivators only existed within ancient martial arts families. The secular world knew nothing about these things. But now, someone from the secular world has suddenly appeared. Not only have you become a cultivator, but you also have the ability to make ordinary people cultivators. Do you think these families will want to get rid of you?” Old Master Liu said in a deep voice.
"Aren't those overseas countries always researching gene-enhancing drugs, which also allow ordinary people to become cultivators?" Han Feng asked.
"That's different. Those so-called gene warriors have only scratched the surface at best. Mortal bodies and cultivators are completely different. Only a few gene warriors can comprehend even a trace of energy," Grandpa Liu explained.
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